Just Because
by LaLopez1981
Summary: Tony comes home after a meeting at SHIELD to the smell of something burnt in the kitchen.


**A/N: Talk about random...this prompt was reached by me tweeting about my burnt cookies. Loki_Can had an idea and this happened. Hope you enjoy it, Can of Awesome.**

**XOXO, LaLa**

* * *

Tony could smell it the second the elevator doors opened. In the garage. As he ascended to his private floors the scent of something burning grew more and more pungent. Jesus Fucking Christ, he told Loki to leave the toaster alone! After Jarvis had to put out three fires, and Tony had to buy a new set of pots and pans, replace his oven, his toaster, _and _install a new fire alarm, Loki was banned from the kitchen, unless he was otherwise supervised, usually by Bruce, since he was the only one besides Clint who could actually cook a decent meal—and Clint was still weary of being around Loki and anything that might be considered a weapon. And given that Tony was returning from a meeting with Coulson at SHIELD headquarters, Loki had better have a good explanation for why the building smelled like a barbecue gone bad.

When he stepped off the lift, he dumped his briefcase, full of files he would likely never glance at more than once, and his discarded suit jacket and tie he had removed in the elevator, on the nearest sofa, and booked it for the kitchen, calling for Loki. He was expecting smoke, a mess, maybe even a soot-covered Loki. But when he pushed his way into the room, he took pause; and then slowly stepped in further.

It was spotless. The air was clear, possibly thanks to the two doors that led to a private balcony only big enough for a small patio table and two chairs, drawn wide open. The only sign that something had indeed burnt recently was the odd mixed bouquet of the charred remnants and the air freshener that stung his nose.

Tony sighed and crossed the room to pull the doors closed. "Loki!"

"You're home."

He spun around, fisting his hands on his hips, ignoring the way Loki's bright smile faded when he did. "What did you do?"

A hurt expression nearly crossed Loki's face, before he remembered himself and cocked a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not dead, Loki; I can smell it. You burnt something in here."

Loki's green eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, his head angled just the slightest. "And this upsets you?"

Tony's arms fell slack to his sides again. "You promised you weren't going to try to cook again."

"I—"

"You said you wouldn't touch anything in this room, unless Bruce was with you, or I was here to help."

Loki's chin slowly lowered as Tony spoke, his eyes set directly on his brown ones. "I am aware of what I agreed to, Anthony. I'm not a child."

"Fine," Tony crossed his arms, then quickly uncrossed them when he remembered that Howard used to do the exact same thing before he would scold or yell at a young Tony. "Then tell me why my house smells like burnt food?"

He didn't realize what he had said until Loki's face registered surprise. _Shit_. He was going to pay for that. A chill crept up his spine when Loki's lips curved and he held a hand out toward the door leading to the dining room. "Your explanation."

Tony's eyes moved from Loki to the door and back, and at Loki's insistence, he moved to the door. On the other side, a fancy dinner for two awaited, with candles, cloth napkins, and covered dishes.

Shit, shit, shit. "Loki, I—oh." When Tony spun around Loki was right there. And he didn't look happy. "You did this all by yourself? Or did you magic it?" _Goddamn it, Tony_.

Loki's brows furrowed even deeper. That menacing look of danger and righteous anger that Tony had first fallen for three years back on his old balcony, sent another shiver through him. "I used no magic. As per our agreement, Dr. Banner took time from his schedule today, to come to our—forgive me—_your_ home, to help me prepare this dinner."

Internally, Tony sighed. He was such an asshole sometimes. "That was nice of him. But, uh…" he turned his head, eyed the table, set up prettier than he had ever seen it. "Why?"

Loki moistened his lips. "I believe the phrase you Midgardians like to use is, 'just because?'"

Tony looked at the table again, wondering what was under the silver plate coverings. His stomach rumbled low in the quiet; he hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast. "I'm such a shit, aren't I?" He looked at Loki with a guilty smile. The god pursed his lips.

"I would say yes. But then, what do I know? Apparently, I'm only a guest."

"No, you're—Loki! Come back here." Tony latched onto his arm and yanked him back when he tried to walk away. "I didn't meant that."

Loki pulled his arm from Tony's grasp, grinning darkly. "Anthony Stark, you never say anything you don't mean."

"But sometimes I do talk out of my ass. Come on, baby." He stopped another of Loki's attempted retreats, pushing him back toward the dining room. "I'm…ugh." He had to take a breath; eating crow sucked. "I'm. Sorry."

"Are you?"

"Yes. I just…it smells really nasty and I could smell it all the way down in the garage. But, I really, really appreciate this surprise dinner." He slid his arms around Loki's waist and pulled his thin frame close to him. Loki wasn't buying it yet. "Babe…" he cooed.

Loki sighed softly, almost put out, and set his hands on Tony's chest; not quite pushing him away, but not in any attempt of affection either. He looked down at Tony, his eyes half-lidded, and Tony grinned up at him softly. "Do you really only see me as a guest?"

"No," he answered quickly and firmly. "That was—that was a total slip. Babe, you know I love having you here." He reached up to press his lips to Loki's, but managed only to reach his chin as the god tipped his head back. "Loki."

"Two years, Stark," Loki stated just as firmly.

"Jesus, don't start 'Stark'-ing me," he muttered taking a step back, dropping his hands and putting a little distance between them.

"For two years I have been here, in your home, living with you, changing for you, building a life with you, sharing your bed."

"I know!" The genius shouted as he faced the god again. "That's two years more than anyone else, Loki. Two years of me fighting every single instinct I have to run. Two years of people questioning my sanity because I decided to shack up with a former world criminal who I took as a lover, the guy who nearly brought New York down single-handedly, and who also just happens to be the embodiment of a figure of mythology! Two years of me being faithful. Two years of me being _in love_. So, yes, once in awhile it might slip my mind that you're here permanently, that you partner up with the guy who smashed your face into my lounge floor to cook me dinner 'just because.' It still freaks me the fuck out that you even give a shit, okay, Loki? Okay? I have issues. I am working through them. So can you just forgive me so we can go in there and eat? I'd really like to know what's on those plates."

Tony's panting breath, coming fast and heavy from his tirade, was the only sound in the room as he stared at Loki.

"What? Say something. It's too quiet."

Loki said nothing. But he did move forward; taking just a few strides to close the distance between them, and laid his mouth on Tony's. Tony grunted softly at the contact, but took only a half-second to start kissing Loki back, his fingers tightening in and pulling at the hunter green V-neck sweater he wore.

Surprisingly, Loki broke the kiss first. "Darling…dinner," he said breathlessly, deftly avoiding Tony's eager lips and snakelike tongue.

Tony breathed in deep gulps of air. "Dinner. Right. Let's go." He took Loki's hand and started toward the dining room.

"Anthony." Loki tugged once, had Tony jerking backward. "I love you, too."

His jaw dropped. Apparently, after two years, this was the moment they were officially saying it. In typical Tony Stark style, though, he had to play off the heavy emotion making his chest feel heavy—well, heavier, behind the damn thing keeping him alive. He smiled lopsidedly and forced out a chuckle. "That's good to know."

Loki let that half-hearted reply slide and followed Tony into the room. They ate—thick filet mignon, roasted potatoes, and steamed broccoli—chatting as they did, feeding each other bites, and when Loki wasn't looking, Tony would keep refilling his glass with the red wine Bruce brought for them, conveniently forgetting it would take more than a few glasses to even get the other-worldly being buzzed.

Their plates empty, their bellies full, Tony sat back, letting out a satisfied groan as he did. "Is Bruce still here?"

Loki grinned at him but shook his head. "No, of course not. He left an hour before you were due home. Why?"

He shrugged. "I just thought maybe he'd stuck around to clean up, too."

"Anthony," Loki scolded.

He laughed and sat up again, finishing off the rest of his wine. "Well…thank you for the dinner. It was delicious." Tony set down his glass and leaned toward Loki, lips puckered.

"You're welcome," Loki murmured against his lips before nibbling lightly at them. "Mmm…you taste of the wine."

"Not to start anything up again, but…" Tony raised his hand to set his chin in it, practically batting his brown eyes at Loki. "None of the dinner was burned, so why does the kitchen smell like that?"

Loki chuckled softly and pushed his chair back to get to his feet. "Stay here," he said, running his fingers over his cheek.

Tony watched him go with a smile, already anticipating where the rest of their night was leading. He was contemplating all the dirty, nasty things he had in mind to do to Loki later, when the god reentered the room carrying a towel-covered plate on one hand. "What is that?"

Loki flicked out his free hand and the table was instantly cleared.

Tony giggled like a little boy. "I love it when you do that."

"Here." Loki set the plate in front of Tony. "I, uh, I made you dessert."

"You did?"

Loki winced and lowered to a squat next to Tony's chair. "Nnh. It's not perfect."

Tony smiled and cupped Loki's cheek. "I'm sure it's fine, baby." Loki nuzzled his hand briefly before reaching out to remove the towel.

And the smile on Tony's face froze.

He stared at the pile of what appeared to be mostly burnt chocolate chip cookies. He looked at Loki, staring back at him with big, hopeful green eyes, and smiled a little wider. "Hnnh, it looks great, babe!"

Loki scoffed lightly, rolling his eyes. "They aren't meant to be looked at, darling." He picked one of the medium-sized lumpy circles up and held it to Tony's lips.

He instinctively pinched them together before spreading them in a small smile. They didn't even smell like cookies; at least not much. Just burnt dough and a small wisp of chocolate. "I totally want to try it but we just had that big meal…"

"Could you try just one? I am anxious for your opinion." He tapped the edge of the cookie Tony's lip. It was warm but hard. "Just a nibble?"

Tony saw an escape—er, opportunity. He curled his fingers around Loki's wrist and plucked the cookie from his grasp, chucking it back onto the pile, bringing the long, pale fingers to his mouth. "I'd rather nibble on you."

Loki rotated his wrist and pushed at Tony's chin. "Soon, darling." He reached for another cookie. "Please…?"

He inwardly groaned, outwardly making it sound like a tiny amused laugh, and parted his lips. Loki popped the cookie into his mouth and his teeth clamped down on it. He winced a little, because it sounded loudly in his ears, crunching and crumbling on his tongue. Then he remembered Loki was watching him, didn't want to upset him again, and smiled through it. "Mmm…!" He grunted a little, shoving the chewed cookie to one side of his mouth, instinctively lifting a hand to cover his mouth. "It's good," he mumbled.

Loki's face lit up. "Do you really think so?"

As Tony continued to chew, he nodded. It did actually taste good, like chocolate chip cookies. Burnt ones, but cookies nonetheless. "I'm gonna need some milk if I'm gonna eat all these."

Loki rose and reached for his hand, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, and shook his head. "Later. After. For sustenance."

"Mm…um…okay…" Tony swallowed the rest of the cookie, snatching a couple more off the plate as Loki pulled him away in the direction of the bedroom.

* * *

Later, after, Loki magicked the cookies, a decanter of cold milk and one glass to the bedside table. He took one bite of a cookie and spit it back out. And glared at Tony.

He was in the middle of chewing one and pouring the milk, only noticing Loki's face when he had the glass at his lips. "…What?"

"You ate this?"

He took a quick sip. "Yeah, why?"

"It tastes awful." He stared at the brown and black crumpled mess in his palm.

Tony clucked his tongue and reached for the uneaten piece, shoving it in his mouth. "It's fi'," he muttered around it. The rest of the cookie disappeared in a green smoky mist as Loki watched Tony, his brows furrowed.

"You lied to me."

"I did not," Tony averred, holding up one finger to emphasize his point. He gulped at the milk again, mostly to clear his mouth, then set it back on his nightstand. "I admit, at first, they didn't look appetizing, but, _but_..." He reached for Loki's hands, only catching one, when the god huffed and tried to cross his arms. "Then I ate one and it was actually not bad."

"You said it was good," Loki pouted.

"Come on, Loki, if I had said anything besides that you would've brought the tower down with me in it. Probably under most of it."

Loki's eyes slid his way briefly. "Hmph."

Tony grinned and reached out for a cookie, searching until he found one that wasn't too burnt. "Try this one."

"No."

"Loki, baby, stop pouting. Look." He flipped the cookie to show its dark brown underside. "It's not that burnt. Try it."

Loki huffed again. "No."

"Baby…" Tony waved it in front of his face, but Loki only pushed his hand away. With a determined sigh, he flung the sheets off of them, ignoring Loki's protest as he climbed over him, shoving his hands to his sides.

"Anthony! What are you doing?"

Tony stuck the cookie between his teeth and bit off a small piece, pushing it mostly out. "Try it now."

Loki scoffed but Tony could see his lips curved just a bit. "No."

"Just do it. You know you can't resist me."

"You're going to get crumbs in the bed."

Brown eyes rolled up to the ceiling before shining back down at him. "That's what vacuums are for, honey." Tony lowered his mouth, moving his jaw, making the cookie bob between his teeth, and wiggled a little over Loki's lap. He let out a whoop of triumph when Loki laughed.

"You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"Yes…I do."

The softness, and dare he think tenderness, of Loki's voice made Tony go still. Sharing his space, his bed, his body—that was easy. This "I love you" stuff, however; that was going to take some getting used to. It was not a phrase Tony uttered lightly—at least, not to anything that wasn't one of his precious machines down in the lab. And he was finding it was one that made his skin jitter when spoken directly to him. Especially by Loki. Because Tony knew he meant it.

He hadn't realized his jaw had gone slack until the cookie fell from between his teeth, landing on Loki's flat stomach. "Oh…sorry." He reached for it, but Loki beat him to it. He watched Loki bring it to his pale red lips and take the smallest bite he had ever seen anyone take of anything. Did that even count as a bite? Was that licking a crumb?

"Hmm," Loki hummed, cocking a brow, before tossing the rest of the cookie into his mouth.

"Told you."

Loki met Tony's gaze and smirked. "The ones Jarvis purchases from the Foods of Whole are better."

Tony shrugged, too aware of the fact that something was beginning to stir beneath him. "Personal preference, then." He lifted his hand, still holding the other half of the cookie. "I prefer these." He smiled smugly, proud of himself for not making an inappropriate joke, and was about to finish off the cookie when Loki snagged it from his hand. "Hey! I was about to eat that."

Loki, in a mirror of Tony's earlier move, set the cookie between his teeth, and smirked. "So eat it." Loki set his hands on Tony's hips and moved him up on his lap, tipping up his own chin.

His eyes roamed over that face, flawless and smooth; green eyes, darkened to almost black with desire, peeking up at him through thick black lashes; a straight, perfect nose framed by the highest cheekbones on a man Tony had ever seen; and the softest pair of lips he had ever had the privilege to kiss. And he could seriously write a book on the able, talented tongue hidden behind them.

A grin curving his lips at the corners, Tony leaned forward and clamped his teeth around the other half of the cookie, his lips pressing lightly to Loki's. He drew the piece into his mouth, feeling crumbs fall from both of their mouths, and continued to nip at Loki's lips as he chewed.

"Mnh…we're getting crumbs all over you." Loki surged up, bringing his hands up to Tony's face, keeping his mouth against his, and started to shift them, putting Tony on his back.

"That is what your mouth is for, darling."

His laugh was muffled as Loki kissed him again. "Mm! Wait!"

Loki's lips brushed over Tony's jaw as he moved his lips away. "Why?" His mouth was roaming over Tony's throat, drawing soft moans and sighs from the genius.

"So you can grab the cookies." He fought his smile even as Loki rose above him to stare down at him, confused. "You said you wanted me to use my mouth."

Loki made a face and sat up to grab the plate of cookies, setting them by Tony's head on the mattress before settling himself over the olive-toned body again, as if he was straddling a bench not a human. "Is this the incentive you need to do that?"

Tony pursed his lips, hands rubbing at Loki's thighs. "No." He sat up and quickly flipped their position again. "But it might get me to do it more often."

Loki chuckled and rolled his eyes, as Tony grabbed a cookie and crumpled it in his hand over his torso, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And they call _me_ the God of Lies." Tony chuckled again, bending to lick up cookie crumbs from Loki's abs.

"Okay, fine." He moved up further, hovering over Loki's mouth. "Will _just because_ work?" Loki lifted his head to lick a crumb from the corner of Tony's mouth.

"Yes."


End file.
